Containers are used for transporting goods and cargo. The contents to be transported can be transferred in a container from one means of transport to another, without unloading and reloading the contents. Containers are constantly transported by land, by sea, by rail, and by air. Container logistics is the most common methods for transporting goods or cargo. Worldwide, an estimated 200 million containers are shipped annually, so the quantities are huge.
Containers are normally inspected in special container handling areas. The inspections are related to security, the condition of the container, or its contents. The inspections are carried out to confirm that the container is in good condition, its contents correspond to the cargo data, and the condition of the contents corresponds to the original. Inspections are carried out, among other things, to prevent smuggling or stowing away. Moreover, the containers themselves can be damaged in use.
The condition of the container can be inspected visually. Visual inspection is slow and requires a worker on site. Moreover, a separate inspection area has to be provided, where the worker inspects the interior and the exterior of the container. For carrying out an interior inspection, the container may be opened. An unopened container may be scanned, or its carbon dioxide content can be measured. The contents of the container can be determined by scanning, but the method is expensive. The carbon dioxide content can be measured via the vent holes of the container by separate measuring devices. A handheld carbon dioxide meter is not useful nor efficient for large numbers of containers on large container handling areas. Handheld measuring devices are primarily suitable for targeted inspections. Excess load, weight deviation or a corresponding state of imbalance can be detected by weighing. However, the weighing is not sufficient to find out the cause, that is, whether the result is possibly due to a stowaway, smuggling, a change in the condition of the contents, or a deviation in the contents from that entered in the consignment note.
In container logistics, containers are being damaged all the time. Reports on container damage are given to the owners of the containers. The inspection of an empty container is normally slow. Moreover, it takes time to compile and accept the container inspection results. It is common that the cause of damage and the time period of the incident remain unclear. Thus, the costs for the damage will be borne by the owner of the container, and possible feedback with a repair proposal will not reach the operator that caused the damage.
Container inspection methods increase the turnaround time in container handling areas. Moreover, the container inspection methods require the addition of a process step and/or human resources to container handling.